Saudi minister: Human rights protected under our Sharia law

The Arab News reports:

Interior Minister Prince Naif said yesterday that human rights are protected in the Kingdom thanks to the implementation of Shariah.

"Different executive and supervisory government agencies implement regulations that take care of the rights of the accused at the time of arrest, investigation, trial and execution of punishment," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister saying.

Elsewhere in Arab News:

In 2007, Arab News reported on a number of maids who had been beaten to death, raped and abused by their employers. A Saudi teenager was accused of raping an Indonesian maid and impregnating her. However, the General Investigation and Prosecution Board has closed the case claiming “lack of evidence” after the youth denied the allegations.

A vicious attack in August 2007 on four maids working for the same employer in Aflaj in the Riyadh region resulted in the death of Siti Tarwiyah Salmet, 32, and Susmiyati Abdul Fulan, 28. Tari and Rumainih were left severely injured in the incident. Another case involved an Indonesian maid who died after being abused by her sponsor who admitted torturing her. The woman had broken ribs, a broken wrist and burns all over her body.

And MEMRI Blog mentions:

The Girls' Education Authority in Riyadh has taken punitive action against a headmistress of a girl's school who permitted her pupils to don trousers and to wear their veils around their shoulders instead of over their faces. The authority has frozen the headmistress' wages for a full year.

Not to mention our recent post showing that many Saudi women are in jail indefinitely because they are never charged.

Exactly how one would expect a nation with human rights and the rule of law to act.